Addendum (from experience): Sticking to the pan is the biggest challenge to cooking a great faina. The oiled pan should be preheated before pouring the mixture. The thickness of the faina is critical, too thin and it will stick, too thick and it will not cook properly. It must be between 5 and 7 mm thick. Best results are obtained with round copper pans with dimpled bottoms (as in golf balls). Cook as hot as you can without creating bubbles in the faina (or better yet, cook very hot and watch while puncturing forming bubbles - this is only needed the first 5 minutes, as the mixture cooks and hardens). Total cooking time depends on temperature, around 30 minutes.

soup
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Puchero
France's pot au feu, Spain's puchero and cocido, Italy's bollito misto: These are the comforting traditional dishes of European home cooking, dishes that have become national classics. But simmering cauldrons of meat and vegetables, bubbling gently in a rich broth, are beloved in Latin America as well. Such one-pot feasts are perfect weekend fare: a big relaxing meal for family and friends, followed by a week's worth of meals that can be put together almost instantly.
It begins with a big pot of water and a selection of meats, which can vary at will: brisket, stewing beef, pork, tongue, even salt pork or bacon, or a pig's or calf's foot. And chicken is always welcome in the pot. Once the meat is tender and the water has become broth -- with the help of a bouillon cube or two-- vegetables are added to the pot. In this New World rendition, however, chiles (in the guise of chorizo), fruit and tropical vegetables are tossed in, too.

The accompaniments -- salsa, guacamole, a unique pumpkin/ancho sauce, chopped cilantro, onion, radish and chipotles en adobo -- are unmistakably New World. (Europe's simmered meals are often spiked with horseradish, coarse salt and mustards.)

The first meal is served in two courses. First is a flavorful broth to spoon up with a little rice, noodles or tiny pasta. Meat and vegetables come next, with a bowl of boiled potatoes, a crisp little salad and a loaf of bland, crusty bread -- and of course the accompanying salsas and sauces. And although the vegetables are usually just dusted with chopped parsley and perhaps a little butter, I like to give them a splash of the Basque country: a little crushed garlic mixed with olive oil and a drop or two of vinegar or lemon juice.

As the week unfolds, you have the makings for tacos, tostadas, sandwiches, Southeast Asian salads, soups, hash, fritters and pasta sauces. By the time the next week rolls around, you'll likely be tempted to prepare another potful.

One final hint: Be sure to make this in the biggest pot you can find -- the more water you add, the more soup you will enjoy.

ON THE WEEKEND:

Puchero With Salsa And Pumpkin Sauce

DURING THE WEEK:

Chile Beef Caldo del Papas Indonesian Coconut Soup Thai Salad

MORE IDEAS FOR LEFTOVERS FROM PUCHERO MASTER RECIPE Here are additional ways to use savory leftovers from Mexico's boiled dinner:

-- Mediterranean Browned Meat Sandwich: Brrown shredded leftover beef in a small amount of olive oil. It should just brown but not turn greasy. Season with capers, chopped parsley, garlic, marjoram and diced marinated artichokes if you have them on hand. Spread a soft-crumbed crusty roll with aioli or mayonnaise, then fill with the meat mixture. Spoon on a bit of chopped cucumber, tomato, onion and cilantro, then close up and enjoy.

-- Sicilian Meat Sauce or Filling: Brown 11/2 pound or so of shredded cooked meat with chopped onion and garlic to taste. Season with cinnamon and oregano to taste, then add 8 chopped tomatoes (canned are fine) and 1/4 cup or so raisins; cook until saucelike, adding a ladle or two of reserved broth and a little red wine to cook into sauce. Season with salt, pepper and sugar, then serve with al dente spaghetti, sprinkled with pecorino or Locatelli Romano cheese.

-- Beef and Nopales Soft Tacos: Brown shreedded beef, then add garlic to taste, several chopped tomatoes and 1/2 cup or so nopales (canned or bottled is fine). Cook a few minutes, season with chipotle en adobo, or salsa, then roll up into soft warm corn tortillas.

-- Southwestern Hash: Brown a chopped onioon and poblano chile (or green pepper and 1/2 jalapeno), then add 8 ounces reserved diced meat as well as an equal amount of the reserved cooked potatoes, peeled and diced. Brown, seasoning with chile powder, cumin and oregano as you go; a diced tomato or two makes a good addition. Serve with a poached egg, salsa and sprinkling of cilantro.

-- Chicken and Avocado Tostadas: Spread crrisp flat tortillas with warm refried beans. Top with a layer of warmed shredded leftover chicken, sliced avocado, a dab or two of chipotle and a handful of shredded cabbage seasoned with olive oil, vinegar and cilantro. Eat as is or with a dollop of sour cream.

-- Saffron Leek-and-Potato Soup: Lightly ssaute several cleaned sliced leeks in a tiny amount of olive oil until softened; add 5 or so diced ripe (or canned) tomatoes; 2 or 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped; several of the reserved cooked potatoes, peeled and diced; and a quart of the reserved broth. Cook over medium heat until leeks are tender. Toast a pinch of saffron in an ungreased frying pan or crush them in a mortar and pestle; add to soup and heat through.

-- Frituras de Garbanzos: To make chick-peea pancakes from Spain's Costa Brava: Coarsely mash 1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked chick-peas. Mix with 1 tablespoon chopped parsely, 1 egg, 2 cloves chopped garlic, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder. Shape into flat cakes about 2 inches in diameter, then pan- fry until golden and crisp. Serve warm.

-- Stuffed Crepes: Fill crepes with shreddded meat or chicken you've browned with chopped onion and mushrooms; season with garlic and parsley. Brush with melted butter or olive oil, sprinkle crepes with Parmesan cheese and broil or bake in a hot oven until the top is lightly browned and filling is heated through.

MASTER RECIPE: PUCHERO (MEAT AND VEGETABLE STEW) INGREDIENTS:

--2 pounds stewing beef (preferably chuck)), in 1 large piece
--2 pounds stewing veal or pork, preferablly in 1 piece
--2 bay leaves
--2 onions, chopped
--Cloves from 1 head of garlic, peeled, cooarsely chopped
--2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
--3 carrots, sliced
--2 celery stalks, diced
--2 or 3 bouillon cubes
--1 chorizo sausage, skinned, crumbled
> --1 chicken, cut into serving pieces
--8 tomatoes, chopped
-- 1/2 to 1 guajillo chile, soaked and purreed
--Ground cumin, to taste
--Grated rind of 1/2 orange
--1 sweet potato (or chunk of pumpkin or oother winter squash), peeled, cut into chunks
--2 zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces -- 1/2 cabbage, thinly sliced, blanched --3 ears of corn, husked, each broken intoo 3 pieces
--1 apple, cored, cut into bite- size piecces
--2 turnips, quartered (optional)
--10 pitted prunes
--Juice of 1 to 2 oranges
-- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste
--Pinch powdered ginger
--8 ounces green beans
--14 ounces cooked drained chick-peas
--Salt
--4 ounces thin pasta, rice or orzo, cookeed
--6 green onions, trimmed, thinly sliced --Vinaigrette (olive oil, vinegar and crusshed garlic)
--2 pounds creamer potatoes, boiled until tender
--Chipotle-Tomato Salsa (see recipe)
--Guacamole (optional)
--Chopped cilantro leaves
--Argentinean Pumpkin-Chile Sauce (see reccipe)

INSTRUCTIONS: Combine beef, veal or pork, the bay leaves, onions, garlic, cilantro, carrot and celery in a large pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Skim the scum that rises to the surface.

Add bouillon cubes and cook for 1 hour, or until meat starts to become tender.

Add chorizo, chicken, tomatoes, chile, cumin and orange rind; cook for 30 minutes. Skim off fat.

Add sweet potato, zucchini, cabbage, corn, apple, turnips, prunes, orange juice, cinnamon and ginger; simmer 15 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender.

Add green beans and chick-peas and heat through (the beans should be al dente; tender, but green, not gray). Season to taste with salt and skim off all surface fat.

Serve in two courses: As a first course, ladle the hot broth over cooked pasta and garnish with sliced green onions. For main course, arrange the tender meats on a platter and carve. Dress vegetables with garlic vinaigrette and serve as an accompaniment, along with boiled potatoes. Offer salsa, guacamole, chopped onions, cilantro, and/or Pumpkin Sauce at the table. Serves 4, with leftovers for 3 or 4 more meals To store leftovers: Refrigerate leftover meats and vegetables in their broth overnight. The next day, discard the layer of fat on the surface. Remove large pieces of meat and wrap tight; refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Ladle vegetables (keep chick-peas separate) into covered containers and store in refrigerator for up to 5 days. Strain broth into a clean container; refrigerate for up to 1week (I recommend boiling it once or twice during the week, then straining it into a clean pot), or freeze for 2 to 4 months.

PER SERVING: 800 calories, 61 g protein, 76 g carbohydrate, 31 g fat (10 g saturated), 183 mg cholesterol, 506 mg sodium, 5 g fiber.

ARGENTINEAN PUMPKIN-CHILE SAUCE INSTRUCTIONS: Mash several large pieces of skinned, cooked pumpkin. Saute an onion and several cloves of chopped garlic in olive oil, then mash into the pumpkin. Season to taste with salt, pepper, ancho chile powder and salsa.

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Buseca *URU
3-3 1/2 punds dressed calf's tripe
1 large onion stuck wirh 2 cloves
3 stalks celery, chopped salt
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons pork or bacon fat, diced
6 small onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 sprig sage
14 ounce can italian peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped pepper
3-4 cups cooked white (haricot) beans
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
This is a thick rich soup, and very much a local specialty (LOMBARDY). Tripe is usually sold "dressed", i.e. cleaned and almost completely cooked. It may have to be blanched simply for extra cleaning but even thisis seldom necessary. The butcher selling the tripe should know how much it has been processed. Wash the tripe and cut into 3-ingh squares. Put it into a pan togetherwith the onions stuck with cloves, 1 stalk of celery, chopped, a little salt and enough water to cover. put on the lid and bring to the boil, then lower the heat to moderate and cook for two hours, or until the tripe is quite tender. Take it from the pan, cool it and cut into narrow strips. Melt the butter and pork fat in another pan. Fry the onions, the remaining celery, carrots and sage, stirring to mix thoroughly. As the vegetables begin to brown, add the tomatoes. Cook over a moderate heat for 10 minutes, add the tripe, a little saltand pepper, and 2/3 cup hot water. Bring to the booil and cook for further 30 minutese. Finally add the beans, check seasoning and cook gently for another 15 minutes to bring out flavours. Sprinkle generously with parmesan before serving. Serves 6.

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Beef Tripe Stew (en inglés)
1kg fresh tripe, well cleanedd and parboiled in abundant water, seasoned with salt and bay leaf, cut up in 5 cm long strips.
1/2 cup of oil.
1 large onion ,sliced in very thin rounds.
1 large tomatoe,peeled, seeded,chopped.
1teaspoon of dry oregano,or better a fresh sprig.
2 rounded tablespoons tomatoe paste.
2 cups of rice.
3 cups boiling water,or beef stock,tripe broth may also be used.
1/2 cup peas,or more,to tastse. white boiled potatoes,in rounds.
parboil tripe in a lot of water,season with a little salt and a bay leaf, drain and cut in rather thin stripes, no more than 5cm long.tripe may also be cut in small squares,of about 2 cm to each side. prepare a sauce with oil,onion,tomatoe,oregano and tomatoe paste,frying all ingredients for about 5minutes.add then tripe stripes 1 cup broth or boiling water and cook until tender and almost done. watch pot all the while so that it does not dry up.
Finally add rice,cover with more boiling water and simmer 15 more minutes or until rice is done.
Add peas, heat through and remove from fire. this stew may also be finished in the oven in a covered dish. always let stand a few minutes before serving. must be a little moist ,never dry ,with a thin and runny sauce. the usual accompaniment is some white boiled potatoes.

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Jose's Pascualina *URU
Oh yes! Uruguayan Spinach Pie.
Serves 6 people

How many people get home and say what would I cook tonight. Well here is one of those recipes that can solve this problem.

Ingredients:

5 eggs
500 g of frozen (or fresh) spinach
2 frozen sheets of puff pastry
1 onion
3 garlic cloves (you can use more if you really love garlic)
Olive oil (Spanish of course)
4 or 5 slices of cheddar cheese
Bread crumbs

Methodology (ie. what to do)

Defrost the spinach in the microwave oven for 10 minutes in high. In the meantime slice the onion thinly and fry it with olive oil with the garlic in a very hot frying pan until it gives that nice fried onion smell (yes just before it burns itself away). Toss the defrosted spinach into the frying pan and add one of the eggs to this mixture, add 2 soup spoons of bread crumbs, and mix. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes in high. Using non-stick baking paper line the inside of the round baking tray (20 cm diameter will do). You might decide to have a glass (or 2) of a nice white or red wine, whislt you are doing this. Lay one sheet of the puff pastry on the tray and add the mixture of spinach, onion and garlic. Break the rest of the eggs and put them on top of this mixture. Finally add the cheese slices on top of the eggs. Cover this with the second sheet of puff pastry. Cook for 35 minutes in a pre heated oven at 220ºc.

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Floating Island
Custard Sauce
Beat slightly: 3 or 4 egg yolks
Add: 1/4 cup sugar, 1/8 tsp salt
Scald and stir in slowly: 2 cups milk
Place the custard over a very slow fire. Stir it constantly. Take care that it does not boil. Or stir over simmering water until it begins to thicken. Strain and cool the custard. Add to it: 1 tsp vanilla, rum, or sherry, or a little grated lemon rind. Chill thoroughly. This is not a firm custard. It is really a custard sauce.
Floating Island (4 servings)
Prepare the above recipe for Custard Sauce, flavored with lemon rind. Place it in a baking dish. Whip until stiff: 3 egg whites, 1/8 tsp salt. Add very slowly, whipping constantly: 3 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla, or a few drops of almond extract. Heap the egg whites on the custard. Place the dish in a hot oven (500) for 2 minutes, or under a broiler until the tips of the meringue are brown. Serve the custard hot or cold.

Method II
The French way, called Oeufs a la Neige: Whip until stiff: 3 egg whites Beat in gradually: 4 Tbsp sugar Scald: 2 cups milk Drop the meringue mixture from a tablespoon in rounds onto the milk. Poach them gently without letting the milk boil, for about 4 minutes, turning them once. Lift them out carefully with a skimmer onto a towel. Use the milk to make: Custard Sauce. Cool the custard. Place the meringues on top of it. Chill the custard before serving it. Buena suerte.

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Pasta Frola *URU
2 cups of flour (2 tazas de harina)
1 t baking powder (una cucharita de polvo royal)
150 grams of butter (150 gramos de manteca)
1 cup of sugar (1 taza de azucar)
one egg (un huevo)
one yolk.. (un chiste, perdonen una yema)
1 T milk (una cuchara de leche )
One can of quince (una lata de dulce de membrillo)
Beat the butter, sugar and eggs. Pour the flour and baking powder. Knead together. Voila! the cake mixture is ready. Lay in in a baking pan, add the dulce de membrillo, and cut strips of pastry. And in a criss cross pattern, decorate the top of the cake. Bake for 35 minutes in an oven set for 375 F.

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Pasta Puttanesca
I have lost the recipe but I know it by heart. Let's say it is for 2 people:
About 9 oz. of spaghetti al dente
Sautee one onion (chopped) on olive oil until soft
Add to the onions:
2 Tablespoons of capers
1 can of anchovies
10 black olives, chopped
5 basil leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper
The result is a black sauce with a unique taste. Put the sauce over the pasta and add virgin olive oil.

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source recetas uruguayas (spanish site)